[ scien's expression grows stormy—brow furrowing in frustration. there's been a lot of stuff to be frustrated over tonight ]

That is what I'm trying to avoid. I'm running through every mental scenario, every ritual loophole, every text that we have at our disposal to see if there's something. Anything.

[ that is what all the research has been about, for pretty much the entirety of trial ]

But I will not make false promises. You should treat tonight as his last, unless another unpartnered finds him.